10 Favourite Cillian Murphy Performances...

Today is the wonderful Cillian Murphy's 36th birthday. Back in the dark ages of this blog, I had a HUGE obsession with the man. Like, I'm talking more than Ralph Fiennes obsessed. During that obsession, I managed to see pretty much everything he's been in, apart from maybe 3 or 4 films (which are impossible to find in NZ). He's a pretty brilliant actor, who has shown more diversity than the average Joe in the movie. As shown in my 10 favourite performances from the most underrated actor of our time:

10. Neil in Watching the Detectives

I guess you could say that Watching the Detectives is Cillian's only real foray into an out-and-out comedy. Unfortunately, this rom-com starring Lucy Liu isn't overly great - mainly because it is so insane. But Cillian still manages to be completely awesome as the lovesick puppy Neil, with his performance venturing into such over-the-top outlandishness that only he could possibly pull off. Plus, he plays my dream guy (he owns a video store, he knows lots about movies...what's not to like?) Hopefully he can get a better comedy soon, because I'd like to see the funny side of Cilly again.

Week #8 in summary...! Cillian Murphy week, Part II

Wow...up to week eight already?! Just as a pre-warning, not this coming week, but the week after (12th-19th??), A Movie a Day maybe taking a break. Don't worry, I will make up for it with an extra week at the end. And I will still manage to watch a few films. Reason? Got the job of doing make up for the local production of Les Miserables, and probably won't have enough time in the day to get a movie in. This could be subject to change, though.

Anyway, I watched a few more Cillian Murphy movies this week, and I think there are very few left to dig up in the future that I still should watch. I think it's fair to say that Cillian Murphy may just be my favourite actor...yes, right up there with Leonardo DiCaprio.

• The Edge of Love (2008) This movie I watched a year and a half ago, and clearly overrated it. Upon the second, more educated watch, the rating was slashed in half. 4/10


• Insomnia (2002) I have now watched every single Christopher Nolan film. And enjoyed every single one of them. Yeah, he is God. 8/10


• Red Eye (2005) Sit buy an impossibly cute guy with amazingly gorgeous eyes on a plane, who seems a little stalkerish? He's trying to kill your Dad. And there's not a lot you can do, Rachel McAdams. 6/10


• Watching the Detectives (2007) Cillian Murphy does comedy. And is good at it. Are their any ends to this guys talents? No, I don't think so. 4/10


• Boy (2010) New Zealand actually does make good films. Boy should be getting Oscars...10/10


• Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003) This film has to be the most beautiful piecce of cinematic art...ever. 7/10


• Adventureland (2009) Kristen Stewart makes pot cookies. Jesse Eisenberg gives away a giant-ass panda at knife point. Yup, this movie is preeeeety interesting! 8/10

I think you can sort the best from the worst in this group of movies. It's just a shame that the Cillian movies I watched this week weren't as good as last weeks round.

Highlight of the week: Hmmmm...no real highlights spring to mind at the moment. Oh, I did get my driver's license!

Lowlight of the week: The weather has been so cold and miserable for 'Spring'. And I guess I should say something about the Christchurch Earthquake. No city is more beautiful than that place, and I hope with all my heart that it comes back to normal.

Red Eye

Sometimes I find the TV so handy. Just in the midst of my Cillian Murphy obsession, I get a text from one of my friends saying that Red Eye is going to be on TV soon. I'm pretty sure my stomach did a little backflip. I had heard that this was one of Cillian's better movies, and also his real American debut (though Batman Begins was released in the same year). Hey, if looks were anything, this guy has it won.
After attending the funeral of her grandmother in Dallas, the Lux Atlantic Hotel manager Lisa (Rachel McAdams) is waiting for a flight to Miami. Due to the bad weather and consequent flight delay, she meets in the airport bar Jackson Rippner (Cillian Murphy), who is also in the waiting list. They sit together in the plane, and Jack reveals that he wants Lisa to change the room in Lux of an important American politician to facilitate a terrorist attempt against him. Otherwise, Lisa's father will be killed by a hit man. Lisa has to decide what to do with the menacing man at her side.

The one thing that terrified me the most about Red Eye was the fact that Lisa was put under so much pressure on a plane. A plane is like the scariest place on Earth. You can't just run away, because there isn't anywhere to run to. You can't just ask for help, because the only help you are going to get is by being able to run and ask for security guards. You don't have any weapons on you. While the movie isn't overtly gory, it succeeds as being a Hitchcock style psychological thriller, because when you think about it, being in this kind of situation would suck.

Even though I think the film was very well done, I unfortunately felt a little less than satisfied. This could come from my pre-concieved idea that Wes Craven made real slasher type horror films and I thought this might be like a whole plane killing spree. I defnitely thought that Jackson Rippner may have been more evil, but I seriously have nightmares about him with the pen stuck in his throat. I feel like this film will disappoint horror fans, be deemed as stupid by people who don't know a lot about film and only enjoy gross out comedies, but for just normal people who like to watch movies, it will be quite interesting and thrilling.

Rachel McAdams and Cillian Murphy make an interesting pair, and this film was pretty much the beginning of their burgeoning careers. McAdams is the epitome of a sweet and innocent girl under pressure and Murphy is creepy as the bad guy.

A good Wes Craven psychological thriller, just not the scary slasher movie I was expecting.

6/10